While the stereotypes of female artists have been discussed through the duration of this blog, this post will discuss the conventional ideologies that male artists fall victim to. Specifically, when concerning the genre of Rap and R&B, male artists are required to possess certain personas. These traits are centralized around ideas of wealth, heterosexual relationships, sex, drugs, and male dominance. Although, hegemonic ideologies associate rappers with such attributes, it is often not the case. Rap artists Young Thug, Frank Ocean, and Macklemore are all artists that work to challenge gender norms and sexuality. This is demonstrated through their fashion, lyrics, and openness with sexuality.
The Fashion Icon
To begin, Jeffrey Williams otherwise known as Young Thug, is a notable rapper in the music industry as he has collaborated with established Rap artists such as Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka Flame, T.I, and A$AP Ferg to name a few. His fan base has enabled him to gain millions of views on his YouTube channel as well as attain two nominations for the Black Entertainment Television Awards (BET) (Window, 2016). On the cover of his most recent album, titled, JEFFERY, Young Thug wears a purple gown, challenging not only the perception held for defining a male rapper but also gender norms themselves (Window, 2016). In a recent interview with Billboard, Young Thug announced that “There will be two brides” in regards to his upcoming wedding, as he will also be wearing a wedding gown (Window, 2016). Young Thug further supports this statement by noting that, “When it comes to swag, there’s no gender involved” (Martins, 2016). In terms of where Young Thug stands as a rapper in an industry that is hyper-masculine, he states, “In my world of course it don’t matter. You could be a gangster with a dress or you could be a gangster with baggy pants…I feel like there’s no such thing as gender” (Martins, 2016). By identifying himself in this way, Young Thug has revolutionized the way fans and critics are starting to think about gender and sexuality in the Rap and R&B industry. With the combination of his raw essence and his platform as an influential rapper, Young Thug has paved a way for future rappers who may identify or relate to him in a similar manner.
The Free Man
Another example of an artist who has been vocal about his sexual orientation and has a successful career is Frank Ocean. Ocean is a Grammy Award winning R&B artists who has become a prominent name in the music industry. He announced his homosexuality via Tumblr, in an open letter to the public. In his letter, Ocean states, “I don’t have any secrets I need kept anymore” and ends the post by claiming that he now feels like a “free man” (Ocean). Following his announcement, he received immense support from his fans and fellow Rap artists. Ocean is now comfortable with incorporating lyrics about men in his songs, whereas previously he would confine himself to gender-neutral pronouns. As revealed in Oceans song, Forrest Gump, the lyrics read, “You’re running on my mind boy, Forrest Gump” and “you are so buff and so strong” (Ocean, 2012). Through openly singing about love for the same sex, Ocean takes the subject of homosexuality and removes the unconventional aspects of it.
The Advocate
Macklemore from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, otherwise known as Ben Haggerty is a Rap artist who writes about real life events and issues that have happened to him in the past and present. One of these experiences is having gay uncles, which propelled him to write his incredibly famous and influential song Same Love (Nunn, 2016). Same Love received critical acclaim and praise from fellow artists, audiences and critics alike. As stated in an article by The Guardian, “Same Love by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (ft. Mary Lambert) is the poppy end of hip hop. It may well be the most profound ditty either genre has ever produced” (Nunn, 2016). His powerful lyrics read, “If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me” and “I might not be the same but that’s not important, no freedom till were equal, damn right I support it” (Macklemore, Lewis, Lambert, 2012). His lyrics solidify the issues that non-heterosexual men face in the hip-hop and R&B industry. In being a heterosexual man himself, Haggerty is a strong advocate for this human right. He uses his popularity as a means to push his powerful message and views on equality. Haggerty is an important part of the Rap community in terms of talking about the advancement of gay and lesbian rights in this industry.
To conclude, Young Thug, Frank Ocean and Macklemore are artists that go against the prominent ideologies that the Rap and R&B industry has held for decades. Through the usage of fashion, lyrics and advocacy to support all genders, these artist have demonstrated to the public that you do not have to be a heterosexual man to have a successful career in hip-hop. Although the Rap and R&B industries are still highly hyper-masculine, artists such as these enable progressions by giving influence to others to do something they love, while being someone they love.
Works Cited:
Frank ocean. “Frank Ocean.” Frank Ocean. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Ft. Mary Lambert. “Same Love.” The Heist, 2012, http://genius.com/Macklemore-and-ryan-lewis-same-love-lyrics
Martins, Chris. “Young Thug’s Revolutionary Hip-Hop Fashion: “When It Comes to Swag, There’s No Gender Involved”. Billboard. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
Nunn, Gary. “Same Love; Different Lyrics | Mind Your Language.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2016
Ocean, Frank. “Forrest Gump.” Channel ORANGE, 2012, http://genius.com/Frank-ocean-forrest-gump-lyrics
Patrick Basler Window. “Young Thug’s Confusing Gender Politics.” The Diamondback. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
EGS 
You’ve presented a well-articulated article on an interesting topic. In the future, be sure to check for punctuation consistencies and omit unnecessary words. This can be a challenge in academic writing, but can also be a worthwhile pursuit, one which will ultimately improve your writing significantly.
LikeLike
Great article. Cool of you to focus on male stereotypes as I feel like sometime’s they’re overlooked in the music industry. I especially liked the Frank Ocean example. Being a member of Odd Future, a group known for using homophobic language in their lyrics, it must have been hard for him to come out publicly. But the way that Tyler and Earl publicly supported his decision probably gave a lot of people courage. Good read!
LikeLike
Thank you for highlighting what may be the beginning of some male-identity politics issues that are coming up in hip-hop music.
I do want to point out that “rap” is generally accepted to refer to the actual act of rapping, while hip hop encapsulates the whole, complex culture including the “genre” of music. So, when artists like Young Thug are re-negotiating norms of gender and sexuality, they are specifically challenging the norms developed in culture itself, not just artists performing in a specific genre. While this can be linked to gender expression, it also strongly relates to how the performance of masculinity in hip hop culture changes with the different circumstances and experiences of hip hop artists have changed. Hip hop fans have compared the dress of gangsta rap groups to young Thug as a signal that hip hop artists are losing their “edge.”
For some really good discussions about homophobia, and the changes between old-school and new school hip hop, I would highly recommend these two videos by Dead End Hip Hop:
Homophobia:
Is a Hip Hop in a Good Place (This discusses some of the differences between hip hop then and hip hop now, which also includes a pretty heated debate about the quality of trap music, and shows some good interaction between traditionalist vs new school mentality):
LikeLike
I remember when Young Thug first came onto the rap scene and everyone was weirded out by what he was doing to a point where they thought he was legitimately a homosexual. The way he’s pushed boundaries in hip-hop regarding fashion and how he’s revealed the stigma against anyone who might ACT or even LOOK homosexual is inspiring. The genre as a collective can learn a lot from this, that a heterosexual man isn’t afraid to do what he wants regardless of judgement. Well written article.
LikeLike
This is a great post and very entertaining yet educational. This kind of reminded me of that Episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air where they try and tell their audience that Rap isn’t all about what its sterotypes were and they were constantly changing meaning and images . I think that rap norms and constantly being shifted and every new rap artist choses to define their work for themselves and that’s what makes this genre so cool and different from any other. Cool post 🙂
LikeLike